BERCHELT STOPS THIRD CHOICE IN THIRD ROUND

Mexican Miguel “Alacran” Berchelt fulfilled his dream of successfully defending his WBC super featherweight title in front of his home crowd in sun kissed Cancun, by knocking out Ghana’s Maxwell Awuku in the third round,  at the Oasis Arena.

This was Berchelt´s second defence of the crown  he  won in January 2017, and little more than a sweat breaking workout.   With this victory he improved his record to 33-1, 29 KO´s, while the brave but totally outclassed African left the ring with a record of 44-4-1, 30 knockouts.

Initially Cristian Mijares was the first choice of opponent, then Filipino Carlo Magali, who also pulled out.  So Awuku was third choice and it showed!   Some thudding rights from Alacran found their mark on his slender  frame in the opening frame.  But Max momentarily retaliated, driving Miguel back with a clip of straight yet light punches.  On paper his record is respectable, but against a champion of “Alacran’s” quality and power,  it proved paper thin!

In the second Max was badly wobbled by a heavy left hook and was getting systematically punished.  In the third, a huge straight hook decked Max head over heels.  He was incredibly brave to get back up, but then a left crashed against his head, and he was down again.   Driven back across the ring like a reed bending in a gale force wind, he sagged and wobbled.   Panamanian Referee Héctor Afu immediately intervened to stop it at two minutes and forty three seconds.

“I feel very happy, satisfied and it’s a very special night for me, I fulfilled the  dream I had as a child,” said Miguel, stressing:  “I did not feel his power and from the first fall I knew I was going to knock him out.”  Now on to the much sterner test of Mickey Roman,  and Alacran also insists that he wants to unify the division.